Comments on: Podcast: Take over a vacant storefront–legally

By: Alyson Stanfield

Alyson Stanfield — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:58:45 +0000

It’s fixed now, Keisha, but you may come across this again as these old posts are past their prime.

By: Keisha

Keisha — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:13:33 +0000

This podcast is not playing. Please fix it. Thank you

By: What’s to love about the guerrilla knitters — Art Biz Blog

What’s to love about the guerrilla knitters — Art Biz Blog — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:50:41 +0000

[...] It’s a surprise! Residents of West Cape May never know when or where a new knit will appear, nor do they know the [...]

By: Artists in Ireland taking over empty shops with pop-up galleries « Nearlythere

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:58:14 +0000

[...] is more and more being recognised as a viable alternative venue. This ArtBiz blog even offers a Podcast: Take over a vacant storefront–legally. The author notes, this is good for landlord and property owners to keep empty buildings more [...]

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:25:41 +0000

I think another way the economy is affecting artists is that they’re now turning to the internet for their main way of marketing and displaying their artwork. If you’re a new and rising artist, this is definitely the path you will want to take. Everything is so intertwined with the internet now. There can be good and bad obvious aspects. I found this site though, http://www.mysoiree.net, where artists can have their own virtual studio to display and sell their work, but also do the same at “soirees” or social gatherings. Social networking+ publicity + selling artwork! I think this is just another way the economy has now impacted the world of art!

By: Barbara Otterson

Barbara Otterson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:12:30 +0000

Take Over a Vacant Storefront–Legally

How about an entire mall? That’s what’s happening here in St. Louis, well, Crestwood to be exact. The old Crestwood Mall had fallen on hard times. The company that used to own it wasn’t keeping it up and was doing nothing to keep tenants, they just wanted to sell it. They finally got a buyer, Jones Lang LaSalle, but
they inherited a virtual ghost town. Tenants continued to leave. People in the area thought the mall had closed.
Enter the Regional Art Commission (RAC) with an idea to rent to empty spaces to artists for a nominal fee, plus a percentage of all sales over a certain amount. The result is a mall coming back to life and a place that, given time, should become a major arts destination for the area.
The artist/tenants (which include all art disciplines from live theater to dance schools to galleries) have formed a merchants association and board of directors to develop ideas to improve traffic in the mall and to raise money for advertising.
I’m a member of Art Coop, a co-op gallery. We’ve been doing very well, considering we’re
starting from zero and trying to get the public to understand the mall is NOT closed. We have
6 artist/members in our gallery, each of whom paid less than $300 to get the gallery up and running
and almost all of whom are now in the black. (We opened the end of April.) The mall even allowed us the use of display fixtures left behind in the empty stores.
The mall now has the utilities paid for by someone else, and some money coming in for upkeep. The city has more tax revenue. The artists are building something together. What will become of all of this when the economy improves and it becomes viable for the owners to rebuild the mall remains to be seen. But
for now there are a lot of artists in St. Louis getting their work out there and yes, even making some money.
The company that now owns the mall has said that if it works out, they would like to see Art Space Crestwood become part of the new mall! I really, really, really (emphatic enough?) hope it works out that way. I heard through the grapevine that its working so well thus far that they are considering incorporating the idea into some of their other properties.

By: Ren Burke

Ren Burke — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:15:47 +0000

This approach is already being done as a collaborative venture in little old Fort Collins:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Collins-CO/Art-Lab-Fort-Collins/113049271094

Thought you might be interested.
Cheers!

By: Alyson B. Stanfield

Alyson B. Stanfield — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:09:21 +0000

Thanks all for sharing your experiences. This is honestly one of the most commented on newsletters I’ve written in some time–both here and on Facebook. Interesting!

Mike: You’re right. I sure did simplify things. There are so many factors that could make this attractive and, yes, unattractive to landlords. You have to have the right fit. My father has been a property manager for quite some time, so I’m well aware of possible headaches. Honestly, I can’t see him agreeing to any of this.

Sophie: I imagine you will not have insurance. But I also doubt you would incur any electricity costs.

By: Sandra Cherry Jones

Sandra Cherry Jones — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:47:31 +0000

This is such great information. I had thought about asking for the use of unused store front windows to display some of my paintings along with contact information. We have a supportive art community and there are empty spaces in my small town. I am going to give this a try. It could”nt hurt.

By: Burnell Yow!

Burnell Yow! — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:34:08 +0000

This is precisely what myself and twenty-two other artists in the art group The Philadelphia Dumpster Divers have been doing since mid-February. It’s all part of “Art on South,” a project started by Isaiah and Julia Zagar to revitalize the South Street area of Philadelphia. Landlords with vacant storefronts were contacted and many of them were delighted to have artists and art groups set up and run temporary galleries. We have the largest space (it’s really huge) and it’s filled with artwork by the members of our group. We take turns gallery sitting. We pay no rent, only utilities, which comes to about $16 each per month. It’s been a fantastic venue. We’ve gotten good press, many visitors, and SALES!

Read more about it and see photos at:
http://www.ravenswingstudio.com/ravenscaw/?p=362